Living Is Dying: How to Prepare for Death, Dying and Beyond

by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse

Overview

An insightful collection of teachings about death and dying to help face life's greatest mystery calmly and with equanimity.

Lifetimes of effort go into organizing, designing, and structuring every aspect of our lives, but how many people are willing to contemplate the inevitability of death? Although dying is an essential part of life, it is an uncomfortable topic that most people avoid. With no idea what will happen when we die and a strong desire to sidestep the conversation, we make all kinds of assumptions.

Living Is Dying collects teachings about death and the bardos that have been passed down through a long lineage of brilliant Buddhist masters, each of whom went to great lengths to examine the process in minute detail. Renowned author and teacher Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse responds to the most common questions he's been asked about death and dying—exploring how one prepares for death, what to say to a loved one who is dying, and prayers and practices to use as a handhold when approaching the unknown territory of death. Whether you are facing death today or decades from now, preparing for it can help to allay your worst fears and help you appreciate what it means to be truly alive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611808070
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	03/31/2020
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	378,149
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

DZONGSAR JAMYANG KHYENTSE (KHYENTSE NORBU) is a Tibetan Buddhist lama who travels and teaches internationally and is also an award-winning filmmaker. He is the abbot of several monasteries in Asia and the spiritual director of meditation centers in Vancouver, San Francisco, Sydney, Hong Kong, and Taipei. He is also head of a Buddhist organization called Siddhartha's Intent.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

1 Will I Die? 1

2 Preparation for Death and Beyond 21

3 Simple Practice's to Prepare for Death 41

4 How Buddhists Prepare for Death 47

5 Aspiration Practice 57

6 The Painful Bardo of Dying 71

7 Questions about Death 95

8 How to Be with the Dying 103

9 What to Say to a Dying Person 115

10 The Bardo Instructions 125

11 Questions about Caring for the Dying and the Dead 145

12 What to Do after Death 161

13 Questions about Practices for the Dead 173

14 Questions about Other Aspects of Death 177

15 For Tantrikas: Preparation for Death 191

Prayers and Practices

How to Practice Tonglen 197

Chutor: Water Offering 200

Increasing Life and Prosperity: A Method for Freeing Lives 203

Tagdrol: Liberation through Wearing 216

How to Make Tsatsas 221

Illustration Credits 229

Notes 232

Index 235

Editorial Reviews

01/20/2020

In this perceptive collection of meditations on the departure from life, Khyentse (What Makes You Not a Buddhist), Tibetan lama and leader of the Buddhist advocacy organization Siddhartha’s Intent, responds to some of the most common queries about death and dying. Khyentse’s stance is clear: life is an illusion and death is inevitable. He asks readers to get ready for death every day, to train their minds for the opportunity that death provides—what he calls “the ground for enlightenment.” Khyentse provides practical advice and actions that both Buddhists and non-Buddhists can take as they prepare for their own death or confront the death of loved ones—such as making arrangements for material possessions and preparing for the “bardo” period where “awareness and perception will continue to function for anything from a few hours to several days after death.” Taking the form of a question-and-answer session, Khyentse’s interpretations will inform readers about Buddhist takes on abortion, suicide, and the death of children, and practices such as homemade tagdrol (Tibetan amulets), and the prayers that form Buddhist last rites. Welcoming death as a universal milestone, Khyentse’s words will strike a chord with Buddhist readers. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Khyentse provides practical advice and actions that both Buddhists and non-Buddhists can take as they prepare for their own death or confront the death of loved ones.”—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher